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Gov. Ben Cayetano's plan to amend the use of the Ala Wai Golf Course to an urban central park will have to wait six months. Six-month notice
required for governor’s
Ala Wai planMayor backs Waimea
Valley purchaseBy Pat Omandam
Star-BulletinCayetano said he was advised by state attorneys he needs to give Honolulu a six-month notice that he plans to amend the executive order allowing the city to run the state-owned property as a golf course. The course is one of the busiest links in the world.
But the delay, the governor said yesterday, does not mean his plan for the Ala Wai will go away.
"We haven't changed our view," he said. "We still intend to proceed and have our people come up with ideas for the park. And then at some point in time, we will have to ask either legislative body for support in funding, and then the issue will be decided there."
Previously, Cayetano had proposed to amend the executive order by the end of last month. Now he says there's no real deadline once the notice is given.
The governor praised a recent poll that showed 46 percent of the people support his idea because the state has not yet had a chance to go out into the community to push the central park concept.
Cayetano said golfers have launched an all-out campaign to try to discredit the idea. But he believes when the entire community decides the issue, most will favor uses that benefit the entire community, and not just golfers.
"Let's see what happens when the people of this island, in particular, have a better idea of what it is that we want to do," he said.
Opponents criticized the plan because the demand for the golf course -- where 176,000 rounds are played each year -- is so great by residents and tourists alike. And the state Legislature this year rejected a request by Cayetano for $1.36 million to plan and build a replacement course at Sand Island.
Some also fear the property will be used for further commercialization of Waikiki.
Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris has said if the state shuts down the Ala Wai Golf Course, it should replace it with another municipal course.
State Web Site
Mayor Jeremy Harris says Waimea Valley, Paradise Park and the Royal Kunia Golf Course each represent "unique opportunities" that need to be examined carefully before the city commits to buying them. Mayor backs Waimea
Valley purchaseBy Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-BulletinHarris told the Star-Bulletin yesterday that he does support purchase of Waimea Valley -- if the purchase price is close to the $5.1 million at which the city has assessed the property for tax purposes. The property, however, has been listing at $25 million as a private residence.
Councilwoman Rene Mansho has pushed purchase of the valley, which includes a visitor park and a botanical garden, and a resolution is making its way through the Council.
"I think it would be a mistake to allow that to become a private residence," Harris said. "I think that is really a cultural, historic and botanical wonder, and we need to preserve that for the public."
The mayor said he has not yet decided if he will support purchase of Paradise Park in Manoa or Royal Kunia Golf Course. Purchase of Paradise Park is being sought by Council members Andy Mirikitani and John Henry Felix, while the Royal Kunia is being eyed by four Council members headed by Chairman Jon Yoshimura.
It would be "premature" to come to any conclusions on the Paradise Park parcel, Harris said. He has neither toured the site nor evaluated it on its merits, the mayor said. The rain-forest land deep in Manoa Valley was formerly operated as a tropical bird and botanical garden tourist attraction.
The park's owners oppose the Council's steps toward obtaining it, saying there are investors interested in reopening the facility in a limited manner. It has been closed for several years because of financial difficulties.
The Roman Catholic Church owns about 152 acres in the back portion of the valley that include the 47.5-acre Paradise Park. The park has been assessed at $1.18 million and the total acreage at about $1.78 million.
Harris said purchase of the unopened Royal Kunia Golf Course could depend largely on Gov. Ben Cayetano's plan to turn the Ala Wai Golf Course into a central park.
"If that happens, we're going to need an alternate golf course or golf courses," Harris said. "Royal Kunia is certainly one to consider."
Owners of the property still owe the city $13 million in community impact fees -- the key reason the site has remained closed since it was completed in 1994.
"If we decide to acquire the property, we basically already have $13 million in equity in that property ... so it makes it more affordable than another course."
The city might still want to purchase Royal Kunia even if the Ala Wai closure does not go forward, Harris said. However, he noted that the PGA Tour is also interested in the site, and the city may not want to pre-empt its efforts.
"I think the option that shouldn't be allowed is to let it continue to sit there unused," Harris said. "That's crazy."
City & County of Honolulu
